Best Kootu Podi (Iyengar Style)

Kootu podi or vegetable lentil stew(kootu) powder makes it easy to make kootu in a matter of minutes. This is a recipe that goes back many years and comes straight from one of the best cooks that I knew.

When dinner bowls bring fond memories…

As I sit to write this recipe down, I’m taken back almost two decades, but it still feels like yesterday.

I moved to this place where my now twenty year old was one. The little kid had loads of energy, and I was a new mom who wanted to entertain him, expose him to nature, the park, people, and other kids. Typical mom, took him to basketball which he hated, music which he loved. In between all those classes, I’d walk with him around our neighborhood in circles…

The park was a small walk away, and it was also the place for women to catch up with each other, their outing. Since it was a new development, the crowd was young and in the same boat as I was. However, I missed my family back home, so anytime I saw older women from India, I made sure to talk to them. It felt like home.

One such day, as I was pushing Nik on a swing, I heard “Paathu po, anna swingla irrukaan.” Just meant, watch where you are going, big brother is on the swing. Silver tresses, beautiful Coimbatore cotton saree, warm smile, and seven stone diamond earring, with a nose piercing which had the prettiest diamond stud. Her face shone so brightly, and her warmth oozed through her eyes. I smiled at her immediately and got the sweetest smile back.

Her son lived in our neighborhood with his wife and almost a year old son. They were here visiting and I was thrilled. Every day I looked forward to seeing her, and surprisingly, when she left five months later, she said her highlight of the day was talking to me in the park (made me cry).

Days turned into weeks, aunty and I had so much to talk about. Never a dull day at the park. Food was a big part of our discussion. She spoke about food like it was her first love.  Her family was very traditional: they didn’t use onion or garlic, she said. She was more liberal in her thoughts and how she cooked. Still, she told me how as a newlywed, she had so many things to follow especially when she had to cook. I listened intently and happily. Some would ask, what did I have in common with an old lady? I did, quite a lot. And most of all, it was the love of food.

After a few weeks, she asked me very coyly if she could get me something to eat. YES, OF COURSE, I squealed in delight. And the next day, she got me a box of chikki, which bowled me over. The first homemade chikki I had. Next came the curry, and one day it was kootu and rasam which I carried back home happily. That day I had made some chicken curry for hubby, and of course, he would not touch anything vegetarian when there was chicken.  I set the table, served up some chicken for Nik, and we started to serve ourselves.

On my steel plate, I add some warm rice, pour a ladle full of steaming hot kootu, melted fresh ghee, and some papad. I mix it happily and take a large portion and think to myself: how can any food taste this divine?  I had to pause and share some with hubby. He was not happy, but he took a spoonful and left the chicken aside and we both finished the bowl of kootu in one sitting. It was that THAT GOOD.

From the next day on wards, I had my burgundy diary with me to note down all the treasures of recipes aunty had to share. She could not be happier. Kootu podi, I had not heard of it. She even packed me a small bottle. I wanted to bottle up her recipe in my book forever.

Today as I sit here with my bowl of happiness, I wonder where aunty is… Wherever she is, I hope she knows how much I treasure our moments and how I hold her recipes close to my heart. A bowlful of happiness that brings sentimental memories… hoping she remembers me…

Here I share one of her treasures with you, do cherish it.

Kootu podi is very different to sambhar podi. Instant kootu podi comes in handy on those days when you don’t have much time or when you want a traditional kootu, but don’t want to spend all the time making the masala. This masala kootu podi stores well and when added to the vegetable kootu in the end, it tastes authentic, and you will not believe how quickly it comes together.

Kootu Podi

Make sure to slow roast all the spices, lentils, and chilies. Once it’s roasted, let it cool before grinding it to a fine powder. Let it cool completely before bottling it. This stays good for a very long time, but make sure to use it within a month or two to keep the spices tasting fresh.

It’s easy to make the vegetable kootu once you have the kootu podi. Cook the daals, add veggies, once that’s cooked, add the kootu podi and don’t forget the tempering.

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Instant Kootu/Kootu Podi

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Ash

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

kootu Podi (2 cup of kootu podi)

• Coriander-Dhaniya seeds - ½ cup or 5 tablespoons
• Channa daal/bengal gram dal/kadala paruppu - ⅓ cup or 3 tbsp
• Urad daal - 2 tbsp
• Tuvar daal - 2 tbsp
• Pepper - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds or Jeera - 2 tbsp
• Rice - 3 tbsp
• roasted gram(kalla) - 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek - 1 tbsp
• Asafoetida - ½ tsp
• turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Curry Leaves - 15
• Red chillies - 20

for kootu

• ½ cup moong daal(split yellow small daal)
• ⅓ cup channa daal
• Chayote - 2 or cabbage- 2 cups or Bottle gourd - 1 chopped
• Rainbow chard/ spinach/ Milagu keera or any green you prefer
• 2- 3 tbsp kootu podi

Tempering

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• little cilantro

Instructions

Kootu Podi

1. In a roasted large flat bottomed pan, add the coriander seeds and everything except the red chillies. Roast in on low heat until the rice and other spices are slightly brown and toasty. DO NOT BURN IT. Add the red chilies in the end and toss for a minutes and turn off the heat. Let it cool completely and grind it to a fine powder. Let the powder cool on a plate and then bottle it. This stays good in a cool dark place for months. The more you store it, it will lose the flavor, so try using it in a month or two.

Lentils and Vegetables for the kootu

1. In a large pot, add the moong daal and roast it for about 5 minutes on low heat. Don't let it burn or get too much color.
2. Add the channa daal to it. Wash both well and add about 5 cups of water and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Check if the moong daal is cooked, when it is about 80% cooked, add the veggies to it and cover and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the veggies have cooked. Now add the greens, stir and cook for another minute.
3. Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp or more of the kootu podi. Mix well, simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens.

Tempering.

1. In a small pan, add oil, cumin and mustard seeds. Let it pop. Add the curry leaves and cilantro. Pour it in the kootu and cover it immediately.
2. Serve with hot plain rice.

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